Affluence and Objective Environmental Conditions in Metropolitan Brazil: Evidence of Differences in Environmental Concern and Perception

Effective pro-ecological policies depend on how people act and perceive the environment. This is particularly relevant in areas undergoing a rapid and unplanned urbanization process, such as in Brazil. The international literature suggests that SES and environmental objective conditions are two major forces behind pro-ecological behavior and concern. This paper aims to answer the following questions: Are affluent households more environmentally concerned than low SES households in metropolitan Brazil; Do the objective environmental conditions impact environmental concern; Is the relation between SES, objective environmental conditions, and concern mediated by differences in perception about environmental issues and actors. Using random-effect latent class models and hierarchical regressions applied to a representative survey of urban residents of the metropolitan areas of São Paulo, we show evidence that more wealthy individuals and individuals living in communities with worse environmental conditions are more environmentally concerned. Falsifying the “Objective Problems Subjective Values” hypothesis, we found a significant positive association between environmental conditions and concern among the poor, and a negative association among richer households. We interpret these results as a spatial selection of residential units.